For about 35 minutes Saturday, the USC men’s basketball team held firm control over Rutgers.
For about four minutes, a 17-point lead all but vanished. Chad Baker-Mazara missed a midrange jumper that would have sealed a win, giving the Scarlet Knights one last chance.
Rutgers star guard Tariq Francis, who already had 26 points, dribbled around half court with seconds to go. That’s when Baker-Mazara pounced.
“For the last play, you go to your hand that you trust the most,” said Baker-Mazara, who poked the ball out of Francis’ control for a game-clinching steal. “He took the bait.”
Though Rutgers’ late surge nearly took away what at first appeared to be an easy Trojans win, coach Eric Musselman’s injury-riddled squad left Galen Center with a 78-75 victory and a boost of confidence after losing three of its last four, including a last-second loss to Iowa on Wednesday.
“For 36 minutes we had a lead in the game, which is hard to do in the Big Ten,” Musselman said. “We’re still kind of learning who can be in. Some guys we know can’t be in now, late game. People play their way in and play their way out.”
Late in the game, Rutgers (9-13, 2-9) played an increasingly intensive press defense that stalled USC’s offense during an 18-4 Scarlet Knights run that spanned the final 4:20 of the game.
“We stunk against the press,” Musselman said. “Will we improve in that? Yeah, I hope so. I hope that next time we get on the floor together that we work on press breaks.”
During that final stretch, the Trojans (16-6, 5-6 Big Ten) managed only four free throws, including two from Ezra Ausar, who drew eight fouls during the game, making nine of 11 free throws and six of eight shots from the field for a team-high 21 points. He added seven rebounds.
Ausar was especially effective late in the game, both at the line and with momentum-changing dunks, to hold Rutgers at bay enough to survive a 12-1 run early in the second half and then the late surge.
Ausar said he had “the mindset of being the most physical person out there.”
“I know that’s something I’ve been slacking at,” he said, “so today was just the day to pick it up.”
Jacob Cofie secured his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Baker-Mazara scored 17 and grabbed five rebounds.
Cofie, Baker-Mazara and Ausar combined to make 55% of their shots (19 for 34) to help USC shoot 51% — well above Rutgers’ 39.2%. The Trojans did it without top scorer Rodney Rice, who is out for the season, a tough physical force in Amarion Dickerson and Jordan Marsh, who is out because of turf toe after scoring at least 19 in two of his last three games.
“We’re going to have to fight, scrap. Nothing’s going to be easy,” Musselman said. “Winning means something to this group, but it’s not going to be easy.”
Musselman said injuries have forced the Trojans to play a lot of close games, including an overtime win against Minnesota and a two-point victory over Wisconsin as well as last-minute losses to then-No. 12 Purdue and Northwestern in the last month.
“Those situations will prepare us to win in the postseason. If it comes down to a possession or two, we’ve been having plenty of this,” Baker-Mazara said.
USC star freshman Alijah Arenas, who is four games into his college career after debuting last week, showed flashes of brilliance Saturday, including his first two three pointers and acrobatic moves to the basket. However, efficiency continues to be a problem for the five-star prospect. Arenas made three of nine shots for nine points and fouled four times, forcing him to miss most of the end of the game.
However, Musselman said his struggles are “expected” after reclassifying to graduate high school a year early and sustaining serious injuries during the offseason.
“You can see the talent and his ability to go get a shot whenever he basically wants,” Musselman said. “It’s a difficult thing for coaches to work him in, and it’s a difficult thing for a player to work his way into it as a younger player. But, you can see the incredible potential.”
While a win over struggling Rutgers, which has lost five in a row, isn’t the biggest addition to USC’s résumé, every win in Big Ten play is critical for the Trojans, who hope to build their case for an NCAA tournament berth. That quest will continue Tuesday when the Trojans take on Indiana (15-7, 6-5) at Galen Center at 7 p.m.
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